Overview

To preside lavishly over one of the world’s most well known beaches, book a penthouse suite at the five-star Belmond Copacabana Palace. Here you’ll have a bird's eye view over the coast, where two million people flock to watch the fireworks each New Year's Eve. Named a cultural patrimony of Rio, the 90-year-old landmark once hosted Marilyn Monroe, The Rolling Stones and Diana, Princess of Wales. It retains a French-inspired feel after a 2012 restoration, and the social scene at the expansive pool is as hot as the Rio sun.

Ideal Day

See and be seen on Copacabana’s wide swatch of sand. Give up your white-umbrella-clad throne and return for lunch, a feijoada stew – Brazil's national dish – at the poolside bar. Indulge in a spa treatment that uses white clay from the Amazon. Snag a sake cocktail at celeb chef Ken Hom’s MEE restaurant. Sway to bossa nova with a hot local at the piano bar.